Chef of the Month

DER KÜCHENMEISTER

The German state of Bavaria is known for its lush greenery, fresh produce and farming culture. Chef Moritz Neumann brings these elements of his upbringing as well as his inherent love for food and cultures to the operations of JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai as the marquee property’s culinary director. Meet the Küchenmeister – the German master of the kitchen...

When it comes to creativity, the Germans are not the first to come to mind. Efficiency more like it, with the creative crown going to their French neighbours.

That’s why it is a pleasant surprise to get to know Chef Moritz Neumann, the director of culinary at JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai. You see, he combines the best of both. He’s as creative a chef as they come, at the same time, he runs a team of no less than 300 chefs with enviable efficiency.

The German-born chef leads the culinary operations at the marquee property with more than 1,600 rooms, 51 meeting rooms and 15 F&B outlets. It’s hardly a cakewalk to run such a huge operation, especially when you are dealing with a large and diverse team of chefs, from as many as 50 countries.

FINANCE TO FOOD

The 37-year-old chef started at the Marriott group in Munich 20 years ago and ended up in Dubai with the brand.

Born and raised in the picturesque suburb of Oberschleissheim near Munich, he had a ‘normal childhood’ climbing trees and playing in nature. “It was a cozy community. If you wanted to know who was where, you just had to check the bikes parked outside the houses,” he smiles at the memory.

“There were lakes, forests and the countryside. I grew up in the lap of nature.” In Germany, you have to decide at the age of 13-14 what direction you want to go into. That’s not ideal because you are too young to know yourself. I went in the wrong direction for a while

Although Bavaria is known to be the culinary capital of Germany, food wasn’t an obvious choice for a career. Chef Moritz went to the Munich Business School to study economics and finance.

Education in Germany lays a strong emphasis on practical training. Right from the early stages of his education, Chef Moritz was put into internships.

“I went to different offices as an intern and what I noticed was that there were 45- to 50-year-olds who had been in the same chair for the past two decades, doing the same job day in and day out, for more or less their entire lives. That made me wonder if an office job was really the thing for me.” companies for jobs, as was the trend among newbies at the time. “In Germany, you have to decide at the age of 13-14 what direction you want to go into. That’s not ideal because you are too young to know yourself. I went in the wrong direction for a while.”

But fate has a way of correcting wrongs. One of the places Chef Moritz went to intern at was the Munich Marriott Hotel. “They asked me what I was interested in and offered me a chance to do rotations across departments to see which suits me best.” On a weekly basis, he went from front office to housekeeping to the kitchen. “I felt the most comfortable in the kitchen. But I was still sceptical. Can the kitchen really be a career?”

Initial hesitation, however, gave way to curiosity and a feeling of belonging. The education system there allows aspirants to get a job at a restaurant or hotel and attend school part-time, to round out both academic and practical knowledge. Chef Moritz secured a technical degree in culinary arts over a two-and-a-halfyear period, all the while being gainfully employed at the Marriott.

STEADY STEPS TO SUCCESS

Loyalty to the Marriott has paid off for Chef Moritz. During his six years at the hotel in Munich, he was sent to participate in the competition at the JW Marriott in Scottsdale, Arizona. “The competition was called Cook Smart. I didn’t win there but the judge asked me what I wanted to do next. I said I was flexible and I thought

May 2022 Gulf Gourmet CHEF OF THE MONTH

I felt the most comfortable in the kitchen. But I was still sceptical. Can the kitchen really be a career?

they would send me to another property in Germany or in Europe. Instead, they asked me get in touch with somebody in the United States.”

The conversation led to a job in Arizona, at the JW Marriott Camelback Inn Resort & Spa in Phoenix. It was 2008 and Chef Moritz ventured out of his comfort zone for the first time. “It was a completely different environment but I enjoyed every minute of it. I was there for two years.”

An opportunity to return to Europe came about in 2010. He took it, joining the JW Marriott Grosvenor House in London as chef de partie. “To be honest, I didn’t like London too much. So I was there only for a year. Central London is not a nice living experience. It was expensive and it was not enjoyable to jump on a crowded train every morning. The working hours were also crazy. I had to report at 7 AM and work 15-16 hours a day. I was almost always sleep-deprived.”

But it was a great training ground and Chef Moritz celebrates the exposure he got there to different cultures. The chefs were also highly skilled and there was much to learn from them.

His first tryst with the Middle East was in 2011, when Marriott decided to set up a property in Doha, Qatar. Chef Moritz joined the pre-opening team of the Renaissance, Courtyard & Marriott Executive Apartments as sous chef. Today, the property is known as the Marriott Marquis Doha City Center. “When we opened, I was suddenly in charge of three restaurants. I was there for three years and then I moved to Dubai.”

Chef Moritz joined the pre-opening team for the Marriott Hotel & Marriott Executive Apartments at Al Jaddaf as executive sous chef. About three years later, he went to Renaissance Downtown Hotel Dubai, where he led a team of 175 chefs and stewards. Blanc French eatery, Basta! Poppy Italian restaurant by David Myers, Morimoto Dubai fusion restaurant, among others. “Restaurants function very differently from big hotels. For me, that was the main learning there. They operate on different margins, different cost structures, different setups, which was very nice to learn.”

The learnings came in handy when Chef Moritz joined the Autograph Collection La Ville Hotel & Suites City Walk Dubai as executive chef. “It is a lovely boutique hotel. There are a lot of things you cannot do in large-format hotel because you have to focus on one thing. But here, we could experiment.”

Chef Moritz led a team of 50 chefs and stewards, running the operations of Grapeskin - Grape Bar & Kitchen, Graze Gastro Grill and Chival Global Social restaurant.

Around the beginning of 2020, he moved on to the JW Marriott Marquis Hotel as executive chef and climbed to culinary director in September last year.

A MATURE LEADER

A rather young leader he may be, but Chef Moritz displays remarkable maturity when it comes to leadership. Not a big fan of micromanagement, he believes in hiring people with the right attitude and putting some trusted lieutenants in charge to run operations seamlessly.

Besides running the daily operations, Chef Moritz is responsible for menu creation and development and adapting the services and cuisine to modern trends and concepts.

“A lot has changed since I started my career. Back then, you just kept your head down and did your job. If the management liked your work, they promoted you. Now, the younger generation starts with a clear growth path in mind when accepting even entry-level jobs.”

Technology and social media have made it easier to not just get exposure but also self-learn things. “There were no YouTube and Instagram to give us recipes and inspiration. We had to learn from what we saw our peers doing.”

Still, these benefits do not make up for a winning attitude. “Skills can be learnt. I hire right attitudes. I look for the right mindset. With that, you can learn any skill. Having an open mind, curiosity and passion, the drive to develop further and learn are important traits in anyone who wants to succeed.” His judgment of people seems to be good. Some of the people he hired in the past are now his trusted deputies.

Chef Moritz believes in hiring and training young chefs. “Marriott has a lot of opportunities and as a longtime employee, I can tell you they really believe in developing people. With some 8,000-plus hotels across the world, the brand needs a number of executive chefs and culinary directors.

“It’s not easy to be a chef but it is very rewarding. If you can overcome the challenges of this job with passion

and resilience, you can be the next success story.”

LIFE: HECTIC BUT GOOD

Understandably, Chef Moritz’s professional life is a hectic one. What keeps him grounded is his family. “My wife lives here with me. I have two brothers. Both live back in Germany and they both work in banking.”

At the moment, the German chef wants to focus on his current role instead of making elaborate future plans.

“If I had worked only in Europe, it would have taken me much longer to get to the executive chef position. There, this position usually has people in their mid40s or 50s. So I am grateful to have this opportunity so early in life. For now, I am happy to be where I am and learn all I can. Our F&B operations are something to look forward to.”

Given how diverse his basket of experiences is, does anything stick out in his memory?

“When you work in hospitality, there are so many special moments. One that stands out for me is when I was working at the Grosvenor House. We had a Formula One event and there were so many Formula One drivers there. And then suddenly I spotted this distinguished gentleman with silver floppy hair and an aura of power about him. It was Bernie Ecclestone and it was amazing to see him in person.” Getting up and close with people you normally see just on TV is something of a perk of working in high-end hotels.

Although he is content where he is, sometime in the future, Chef Moritz would like to work in Asia. “I want to experience what Asia has to offer. Street food, beaches and so on. I have worked in Europe, America and the Middle East. Asia would be a good addition to my profile.”

Seeing how far he has come in his culinary journey, the next milestone of success is probably just around the corner.

Restaurants function very differently from big hotels. For me, that was the main learning there